Mess
by Marifw
Summary: Greg is in a bad mood, and the CSI's want to know why! Set during season two, spoilers for Stalker later on. Slash; Nick/Greg. Beta'd by the lovely katlynn888. Rated due to some bad language.
1. Chapter 1

Here's a new story about our lovely CSI's! This is a slash-story with Nick and Greg as the pairing. Hope you'll like it!

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, they belong to CBS. Wish I did, man I would have some fun then! And there'd be a lot of male/male kisses! I just adore those guys!

* * *

"Get the hell out of here! I'm so fucking sick of you CSI's hovering over me all the fucking time. I'll page you when your damn sample is done. Now; get out!"

Nick Stokes was walking along the hall when he heard a shouting emit from one of the labs. He looked puzzled around just in time to see Warrick Brown charge out of the DNA-lab; looking quite dazzled. Behind him an angry Greg Sanders turned his back against the men and went back to work.

"What on earth was that? What did you do?" Nick looked quizzically at the dark man.

"I have no idea man. I just went in there and asked if my results were done, and well; you saw what happened." Warrick looked like the sky was falling down. "I mean; what's his problem?"

"Yeah, I hear you man. Last night he went ballistics on me when I asked him if he wanted a cup of coffee. He's been like this for a week now."

The two friends started walking towards the break room. Greg's bad mood had affected the whole lab, making everybody snappy and slightly hostile against each other. The level three CSI's spotted Sara sitting at the table and sat down beside her. She looked up from the journal she was reading and immediately saw their concerned looks.

"What's up with you two? You look gloom."

Warrick was the one to answer her. "Greg just kicked me out of the lab. Man he's moody tonight. Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"Nope. Why should I know?"

"Well." The darker man shrugged. "I just thought you are the one closest to him of all of us. He always seems to respond better to you, that's all."

"I guess close is a little exaggerated. We talk, but only about professional things, you know. Never about personal things; and I think this angriness Greg has now, it's gotta be related to something bad happening in his life."

The two men nodded and looked at each other. At last Nick voiced their consent suggestion.

"Can you talk to him Sara? I think you might be the only one able to penetrate his angry defence right now."

The brunette sighed, not looking forward to this task at all. But at the same time, she silently agreed with the Texan.

"Fine. I'll talk to him. Can't make any promises though. He's not an easy person to get in on."

"Just do your best Sara. Before the whole lab goes mad."

The three CSI's stayed in the break room and talked some more, making guesses of what could have happened to the normally happy-going lab-tech. Sara decided to try to talk to him when she was getting her results. When her pager went off, saying 'done', she paled a bit before she got up and walked towards the DNA-lab.

-----

As she reached the door to the lab, Sara knew that she wouldn't get anything out of Greg this night. Rage Against The Machine was blasting inside the lab, the words making her face go paler.

**Those who died are justified, for wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites  
****You justify those that died by wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites  
****Come on!**

**Yeah! Come on!**

**Fuck you; I won't do what you tell me  
****Fuck you; I won't do what you tell me…**

Sara quickly entered the room and turned the volume down. Greg snapped his head up in her direction and looked at her with angry eyes.

"Why'd you do that?"

"You can't play this song, you'll get fired."

"No I won't. Grissom doesn't care what music I play as long as I do my job, so stop making excuses. You just don't like the song."

Sara couldn't believe the way he sounded. It was like he was another person, not even close to his normal self.

"You're right; I don't like the song, have you listened to the lyrics? And what the fuck is wrong with you? You've been acting strange all week."'

"I happen to like the lyrics, makes me feel better. And what do you care? Am I not allowed to have bad days? Do I always have to be happy and goofy, just so you can feel better? Get over it, and stop acting like you actually care, you and I both know the truth. Here's your result, it was nice talking to you."

The tech went over to the printer and gave the paper to an earth-stricken Sara, turning the volume back up and starting the song over as he went back to work on the next sample.

**Killing in the name of!**

**Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses  
****Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses  
****Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses  
****Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses  
****Huh!**

**Killing in the name of!  
****Killing in the name of!**

Sara hurried out of the lab, not entirely sure what had happened. When she looked down on the paper and saw that the semen-sample didn't match her suspect she groaned. _'Damn this is a shitty night.'_ When she came back to the break room Nick and Warrick looked at her expectantly. She just shook her head.

"Sorry guys, it's no use. He's bad. I mean, really bad. I gotta go, need to find myself a new suspect."

Sara said good bye to the two men and went back to the scene to see if she had missed anything. Nick and Warrick looked at each other and silently wondered what they could do to make a certain lab-tech's mood better.

-----

Later that night Nick was walking along the hall looking for Grissom, he had checked his office and every lab, but the supervisor was nowhere to be seen. When he closed in on the DNA-lab he was surprised by the silence. There was no music blaring from the room. Curious to why this was Nick peeked through the window; what he saw surprised him even more. Inside Greg was sitting on his chair with a sad, not angry look on his face. In front of him Hodges was crouching, his hand stroking the other mans arm. It was obvious the two men's conversation was a serious one. Suddenly it hit Nick; _'Hodges knows what's wrong with Greg._ _Man, I need to talk to the guy soon.'_

Ten minutes later the Texan found himself standing in the trace-lab, getting really angry at the tech; who refused to tell him anything.

"Come on Hodges. All I want to know is what's wrong with Greg?"

"Well Stokes. I don't gossip, if he doesn't tell; I don't tell. I won't betray a friend like that."

"Oh man. He's my friend too; I just want to know how I can help him."

"Friend eh? Does he know that? Do you ever talk to him outside of work? Do you even know where he lives? Or what he does on his free time? Drop the act Stokes; if you really want to know what's happened to Greg come to club Retro at nine o'clock tonight. You might actually learn something."

Nick looked at the trace-tech with wide eyes. _'What the fuck is he talking about? Of course I know where Greg lives; after all I dropped him off once when his car conked out last year. Okay, so maybe we don't hang much outside of work, but that's not all my fault. I mean we work all the damn time. And I don't know if I can keep my act together if I spend too much time alone with him.'_ As he walked out of the room his thoughts again wandered off to the sexy tech that he had fallen for the first time he saw him. He really wanted to be the man to make Greg happy again, but even if the tech wasn't straight (Nick had yet to decide on that matter); he would never fall for a boring guy like himself. Greg was young and adventurous, while to him a romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant was the most adventurous thing he'd ever done with a boyfriend. Not that he'd had that many. Well; two to be honest. One was in college and the other here in Vegas. Both ended because they thought the Texan was too dull.

Nick was a romantic. He wanted to take his love-interests out on dates, he liked the idea of snuggling on the couch, drinking wine and watching a nice movie. He wanted to take his significant other home to introduce him to his family. He was out to his family and they had accepted it. He knew his parents weren't too happy about it, but they never said anything.

He wasn't in to clubbing or bondage or whatever was funky nowadays. So he had been quite surprised when he fell in love with Greg Sanders. Greg was almost the polar opposite of himself; young, daring, energetic, free-minded and out-going. He had many times wondered how Greg would be in bed; he guessed he was a talker, a tease, and that he could go on for hours. _'Ooh, don't think about that; remember you're still at work, not a good time to get hard.'_

In the break room he found Sara, Warrick and Catherine sitting, talking about their cases. Nick told them what Hodges had said and they all decided to go to the place, just to see what the tech had meant.

-----

Nick, Warrick, Sara and Catherine entered the loud club at 8.55 pm. The club was packed with people; dancing, drinking and flirting. They all looked around trying to see a familiar face. As they made their way towards the bar, Warrick nudged Nick in the side.

"Hey man; isn't that Archie sitting over there?"

Nick turned to look at the table Warrick pointed out.

"Yeah it is. And I think that's Jacqui and Bobby sitting with him. Let's go over and see if we can sit with them."

The CSI's bought some drinks at the bar and carefully made their way over to the table where the three techs were sitting. Nick got there first, the others waiting in line behind him.

"Hey guys. Can we sit with you?"

The lab-techs looked surprised to see the CSI's standing there but quickly nodded and four chairs were moved over to the small table. Nick got seated between Archie and Jacqui, and soon found himself interrogated by the print-expert.

"What are you guys doing here? Who told you to come?"

"Well, Hodges told us. What are you doing here?"

"Man, Greg's gonna kill him." Jacqui said under her breath. "We're here cheering for our guys of course."

When Nick opened his mouth to ask more questions he was soon hushed by the tech.

"Ssh. It's starting."

Nick had no idea what the woman was talking about, but followed her gaze towards the stage where a man had entered and started talking into the microphone.

"Hello everybodyyy! I hope your evening has treated you well!" The crowd was cheering and whistling as he spoke. "It's time, for the ones you've all been waiting for. Give a loud scream foooor… THE RATS!"

The crowd screamed louder as four men entered the stage. And _'What the fuck?'_ Nick couldn't believe his eyes. There, on the stage, in front of him were none other than Greg Sanders and David Hodges. The two other men were slightly familiar too, he was sure he'd seen them somewhere before.

"Hey Arch; Greg and Hodges are in a band? Together? And who are the other guys?"

"You didn't know? I thought everybody knew about the band, I mean; they've been playing together for more than a year now. The drummer is Neal, the ballistic-day-tech, and the guitarist is Martin, trace-tech on day."

Archie quickly shut up when Jacqui turned to give him the eye. The band was done strumming, and Greg had now moved up to mic. Nick moved his attention that way again.

"Hello Retro! You doin' fine?" The crowd roared as Greg beamed down at them. "So this has been a really shitty week for me, but the good thing about shitty weeks is that they produce some great songs! So we're starting with a new song, and Archie, Jacqui, David and Bobby; I'm sorry for being an ass these past days. Thanks for being there for me, and I promise to get back on track soon!"

The crowd went silent as they saw Hodges get ready on the bass. When Greg started singing everybody started to sway and nod to the music.

**I want you to know, that I'm happy for you  
****I wish nothing but the best for you both  
****An oth****er version of me  
****Is she perverted like me?  
****Would she go down on you in a theatre?  
****Does she speak eloquently?  
****And would she have your baby  
****I'm sure she'd make a really excellent mother**

**'cause the love that you gave that we made wasn't able  
****To make it enough for you to be open wide, no  
****And every time you speak her name  
****Does she know how you told me you'd hold me  
****Until you died, till you died  
****But you're still alive**

**And I'm here to remind you  
****Of the mess you left when you went away  
****It's not fair to deny me  
****Of the cross I bear that you gave to me  
****You, you, you oughta know**

Nick felt a nudge on his shoulder and looked back on Warrick seated behind him. He leaned back as the other man leaned forward to talk to him.

"Hey man, did you know Sanders is gay?"

"Nope, not that it's a big surprise. I mean, I could have guessed it."

He turned back and watched the man of his dreams sing out his crappiness. He finally understood why the DNA-tech had been in such a bad mood for the past week. He almost felt sorry for the guy who'd dumped him when he heard the bashing he was getting from Greg. But only almost. _'Maybe this might be my chance. Maybe I can get what I want now.'_ His attention went back to the scene as the song continued.

**You seem very well, things look peaceful  
****I'm not quite as well, I thought you should know  
****Did you forget about me Mr. Duplicity  
****I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner  
****It was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced  
****And are you thinking of me when you fuck her?**

**'cause the love that you gave that we made wasn't able  
****To make it enough for you to be open wide, no  
****And every time you speak her name  
****Does she know how you told me you'd hold me  
****Until you died, till you died  
****But you're still alive**

**And I'm here to remind you  
****Of the mess you left when you went away  
****It's not fair to deny me  
****Of the cross I bear that you gave to me  
****You, you, you oughta know**

**'cause the joke that you made in the bed that was me  
****And I'm not gonna fade as soon as you close your eyes and you know it  
****And every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back  
****I hope you feel it... well can you feel it**

**Well, I'm here to remind you  
****Of the mess you left when you went away  
****It's not fair to deny me  
****Of the cross I bear that you gave to me  
****You, you, you oughta know**

The song ended with a scream from Greg, and the whole club went wild. Jacqui, Archie and Bobby were up on their feet; clapping and yelling for their friends. The CSI's fell in to the cheering as the young tech started talking again.

"Thank you! Wow; you have no idea how good it was to get that out of my system! We'll continue with a few old songs."

Nick felt himself get lost in the music. The band was great and Greg had a really nice voice. He couldn't stop the grin on his face as he watched the tech swaying to the rhythm.

-----

As the concert moved on Nick's mind went off, thinking about the same man that had occupied his mind for the last couple of years; Greg Sanders. When he had first met Greg he had felt a connection immediately, loving the way the young man was bouncing with energy and excitement. He had fallen in love at that moment, and he always had an excuse for going to the lab. If he had a bad case, or was in a crappy mood for some reason, or if he felt that Grissom treated him like a child; he would always go to the DNA-lab, just to talk with Greg. The tech had an amazing ability to lift his mood instantly.

He was sure that the tech could never fall for a man like himself, but he owed it to himself to at least try. He was sick of pining over the younger man, sick of not being allowed to kiss him and touch him like he wanted to. He knew that he was a little too touchy-feely with Greg, but he couldn't help himself. He just had to grab his shoulder or pat his chest from time to time; otherwise he would probably lose it and do something worse, like jump him and fuck him on the break room table.

He wasn't sure how to make a move towards Greg, but he was sure he would eventually come up with something. His mind started tuning in on the concert again, as Greg introduced the last song of the night. A collective "Aaaaawwww" went through the crowd.

"Sorry guys, but this is the last song. Me and Dave have to get to our other, not-so-important job in just over one hour. Now; this is a new song, and it's to show all of you that I really am fine! So Jess; this is dedicated to you."

Greg turned and looked at Martin as he started the beat.

**Here's the thing; we started out friends  
****It was cool, but it was all pretend  
****Yeah, yeah, since you been gone**

**You're dedicated, you took the time  
****Wasn't long 'til I called you mine  
****Yeah, yeah, since you been gone**

**And all you'd ever hear me say  
****Is how I picture me with you  
****That's all you'd ever hear me say**

**But since you been gone  
****I can breathe for the first time  
****I'm so movin' on, yeah yeah  
****Thanks to you, now I get what I want  
****Since you been gone**

**How can I put it, you put me on  
****I even fell for that stupid love song  
****Yeah, yeah, since you been gone**

**How come I'd never hear you say  
****I just wanna be with you  
****Guess you never felt that way**

**But since you been gone  
****I can breathe for the first time  
****I'm so movin' on, yeah, yeah  
****Thanks to you, now I get, I get what I want  
****Since you been gone**

**You had your chance, you blew it  
****Out of sight, out of mind  
****Shut your mouth, I just can't take it  
****Again and again and again and again**

Nick felt Jacqui slide over him to nudge Archie. As the A/V-tech looked at her she pointed behind her with her thumb. Nick turned around the same time Archie did and saw a tall muscular man with blond hair standing beside to door. He looked intently at the scene in front of him, eyes dilated and face pale. Nick turned back and looked at the A/V-tech with a curious expression. The other man mouthed 'Jess' back to him. The Texan nodded to show that he had understood.

**Since you been gone (since you been gone)  
****I can breathe for the first time  
****I'm so movin' on, yeah yeah  
****Thanks to you (thanks to you)  
****Now I get, I get what I want**

**I can breathe for the first time  
****I'm so movin' on, yeah yeah  
****Thanks to you (thanks to you)  
****Now I get (I get)  
****You should know (you should know) that I get  
****I get what I want**

**Since you been gone  
****Since you been gone  
****Since you been gone**

As the last note faded, Nick saw Jess slip out the door, tears evident in his eyes. He turned back towards the stage, and cheered loudly for the band, together with the rest of the crowd. Greg looked so happy up there, and it was good to see him smile again. Nick swore to himself that he would do all in his power to make that smile a permanent feature. Now all he needed was to make a move.

* * *

A/N: Lots of songs in here! First: Killing In The Name Of by Rage Against The Machine, next: You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette and last: Since You Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson. Hope you like it so far! More will come soon. Please review; I'd love to know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everybody! Thanks so much for your reviews, I love you all! Here's the next part. This ends with the longest dialogue I've ever written, and I hope you'll like it!

* * *

Three days had gone since the concert and Nick was scolding himself as he walked out of the lab at the end of his shift. He was glad that Greg's mood had lightened considerably in those days, but he had yet to make a move.

The tech had been a little angry with Hodges for letting the CSI's know about the concert, but he had changed his opinion when they all told him how great they thought the songs were, and how good he was at singing.

So with Greg almost back to himself again, Nick had tried to ask him out several times. Most of the times he had lost his nerve before entering the lab, and the one time he had started asking; Grissom had interrupted him. When the supervisor was gone, The Texan bolted again. He was so angry with himself. How fucking hard can it be? Just ask him god dammit! Pep talks didn't help either.

So here he was, walking out of the lab, and tonight was his night off. It was Greg's night off too; it would have been perfect had he only asked. Nick put his sunglasses on as the low morning sun hit him straight on. When he walked towards his car, he spotted the DNA-tech kicking the tire of his silver Jetta.

"Hey G. What's wrong?"

"The fucking car won't start again. I'm so tired of this piece of shit." He kicked the tire again.

"Whoa there. Calm down. Look; why don't I give you a ride? You don't live that far from me."

Greg looked apologetically at Nick. "You sure? It's a little out of the way for you."

"No problem. Come on, let's go."

"Thanks man. Really means a lot to me."

The two men walked over to Nick's truck and got in. Greg groaned as the country emitted from the radio, but didn't say anything. As they drove they mostly talked about work, and the concert. When Nick parked the car outside the tech's apartment he decided it was now or never.

"Hey G. Eh… I was thinking… Tonight's my night off. Do you wanna go out?" _'Well that was clear.'_

"Go out?"

"Yeah. Like… on a… date. With me."

Greg whipped his head around at the question. "A date? Why?"

"Why what?" Nick was getting confused.

"Why do you want us to go on a date?" The tech had a puzzled look in his eyes. Like he couldn't believe that Nick had actually asked him out on a date.

"Well, I like you." The Texan could feel a blush threatening to emit.

"You like me?"

"A lot."

"Really?" Greg furrowed his brows. "Look. I know you're gay, I've got an excellent gaydar, and you know I'm gay too, but I'm not sure 'bout that date-thing. I just got dumped by one closeted jock. I don't think I can go through that again."

"I'm out." Nick felt he had to clarify the statement when Greg looked like he didn't believe him. "I am. I'm out to those who matters; my family and my friends. Hell; Warrick knows."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Look, we don't have to call it a date. I just want to hang out with you. I want to get to know you better. That's all."

Greg turned to look out the window. As the minutes dragged by, Nick got more and more anxious; wondering what the tech would answer. He took the fact that Greg hadn't walked out of the car yet as a positive sign. At last the tech turned back and looked at him; a big sigh emitted his lips.

"Okay, fine. Let's go on a date." A small smile crept in on the tech's face when he heard the Texan push out the air he didn't know he was holding.

"Yeah? Great! I'll pick you up around six, sounds okay?"

"Sure, okay. See you then."

A huge grin was plastered on Nick's face as he watched Greg walk up to his apartment. _'Damn, I did it. I've got a date with Greg tonight. Wow. Now what?'_ He had been so occupied with the asking-part; that he had forgot about planning the actual date. He thought about it all they way back to his house. By the time he got into bed; the whole thing was planned. He just hoped Greg would like it.

-----

As six o'clock got nearer Nick got more and more nervous. Since it was a Tuesday he'd had no problem with getting a table on his favourite restaurant. That's not why he was nervous. He really wanted this to be the best date ever in the history of mankind, but he only felt like it was totally boring. Boring, predictable and ordinary. He wasn't sure how Greg would take it. The tech was such a vibrant person, so Nick was nervous because he was sure that he had blown his chance even before the date had started.

He was thinking about this as he looked inside his boring and predictable wardrobe. Black t-shirts and blue jeans. That was basically the clothes he had. _'When did I get so boring? Have I always been like this? Jeez, there's absolutely nothing to wear here. And how gay didn't that sound?'_ He threw on some clothes and went out shopping. With a lot of help from a nice saleslady he spent more money on the black jeans and red button-up shirt than he had spent on all the clothes he had bought in the last year. But they looked really good, and the saleslady said he would definitely score if he wore them.

As he went home to shower and get ready for the date, he still couldn't get over how much money he had spent, now he just hoped it was all worth it, that Greg would like the outfit as well.

-----

When the alarm went off Greg couldn't quite remember why he had set it in the first place. It was his night off and usually he would use the day to catch up on some sleeping. As the haze lifted from his brain, he finally remembered the events from this morning. _'Oh right. The date with Nick.'_ He still wasn't sure if this was a smart thing to do or why he had agreed in the first place.

He liked the guy a lot, but it wasn't love. He didn't want to hurt the older man and he definitely didn't want to use him as a rebound thing. It had only been little over a week since Jess had dumped him; maybe it was a little bit early to be out there again. He had a lot of respect for Nick and liked their easy-going work relationship, so the last thing he wanted was to hurt the Texan.

On the other hand, the man was absolutely gorgeous. He had noticed him from day one at the lab, and would probably have developed a crush by now had he not been in a steady relationship with Jess. Greg didn't know if there could ever be anything more than friendship between him and Nick, but he wouldn't dismiss it before he'd tried anything. So with the determination to keep an open mind on the date, he went to the closet and dug out his nicest date-clothes.

-----

The clock on the dashboard showed 5.53 when Nick parked his truck outside Greg's apartment. He was so nervous about this date that his hands were shaking and his heart was pumping way faster than normal. After a couple of minutes trying to calm down without any luck he exited the car and walked up to Greg's door. Outside he clenched his fists to try to stop them from shaking before he knocked. He heard Greg shouting "Coming" on the other side, but still jumped when the door opened.

The tech smiled at him and ogled him openly. Nick wasn't sure if the other man liked what he saw, but he didn't look too disappointed. Greg looked stunning in The Texan's mind, and he still couldn't believe how he'd been so lucky that the younger man had accepted the date.

"Nice shirt Nick! I'll be right there, just gotta put on some shoes."

"Sure… ehm… thanks. You… look great too." Nick couldn't believe how the other man always made him stutter like that. He felt a blush emit on his cheeks, and it only grew when the tech bent down to get some shoes from the closet, putting his ass in clear view for the Texan.

With shoes finally on, Greg stood up and was pleased to see the expression on Nick's face. He picked up his wallet and keys and soon they were on their way. Nick was still a little preoccupied with calming down so he didn't argue when Greg started messing with his radio. Thankfully the Californian ended the search on an easy-listening station that no one actually likes, but don't hate either. As he sat back in the seat, Greg turned to look at the older man.

"So, where are you taking me?"

Nick shifted a little at the question, still sure that the tech would find his plans boring. As he stopped at a red light he stole a small glance at the younger man before finally answering the question.

"Well, I've made reservations for us at a restaurant I've been to a few times before. It's Italian and the food there is amazing. We can go somewhere else if you don't like it." He held his breath as he waited for Greg's answer.

"Nah, sounds cool to me. I love Italian food, so that sounds like a good plan."

Nick released his breath and gave the tech a big smile. "Okay, that's good. We're almost there now."

Five minutes later Nick parked in front of the restaurant. Inside they were greeted by a nice elderly woman who showed them to their table. The had gotten a table in a booth in the back of the room, so it was quite secluded and private, just what Nick had asked for. The woman handed them a menu each and took their drink orders. Nick didn't open the menu, he already knew what he wanted to eat, instead he used the time to look at Greg, happy that he didn't have to hide it anymore.

Greg could feel the Texan's eyes on him, but it didn't bother him much. He glanced up from the menu and locked eyes with the other man, a small smile tugging the corners of his mouth.

"See something you like?" When Nick blushed and nodded the tech's smile got bigger. "I like my view too you know. So, what're you having?"

Nick's blush deepened as he heard the last statement from the Californian. He had to cough twice before he trusted his voice again.

"I'm having the lasagne, it's great here. You decided yet?"

"Yep. I'll have the spaghetti with mussel, onion and chilli. I'm kind of a sucker for sea-food."

"Yeah? Hm, it fits you actually. I gotta say I've never pictured you as a meat-person."

"No? I guess you're right. Not to say I don't like meat, 'cause I do. I love a nice steak from time to time, but the taste of scallop, lobster and mussel done in the right way is divine."

When their waiter came over with a bottle of red wine and a jug of water, Nick couldn't get the big smile off his face. He knew the night was still young, but he liked how the date had gone so far. He was already starting to discover new things about his love-interest. They placed their orders with the waiter and nipped to their wine-glasses as she walked away. Greg tipped his head and smirked at the Texan.

"To pick up our conversation. You on the other hand, I can easily picture as a meat-person."

Nick grinned back. "Yeah, well, you know what they say. You can take the man out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the man. What can I say; I love a good steak."

"Just as I thought." Greg's expression got a little more serious. "So Nick. How was it being gay in Texas? I mean, it's not the most open-minded state."

"Well, I wasn't open about it myself until I moved here. I had one boyfriend in college, he was from New Orleans. It's a little more open there than in Texas even though Louisiana also is in the south. But neither of us were out, and it didn't last very long, so I never thought much of it. When I moved here I finally told my family, mostly to stop them from nagging me about settling down and get married."

"How did they take it?"

"They've never said anything against it. I know my parents aren't too happy about it, but I think that's more out of concern for my safety, not so much the fact that I'm gay. You know it's not that easy living openly as gay and be in law-enforcement."

"I guess. Don't know much about that since I'm just in the lab. I've never met much homophobia. Growing up in San Francisco seeing homosexual couples was just… normal you know? I had plenty of friends who had parents that were gay or lesbian. So when I at the age of 13 found myself in love with my best friend, I didn't think much of it. My parents are very supportive; my mom's only grief is that she'll never have grandchildren. I've tried telling her that gay couples have kids too, but me being an only child and all, I guess that should be expected."

"You came out to your parents when you were 13?"

"Well yeah. That's when I got my first boyfriend. Adam and I stayed together for like three months and never did anything other than holding hands and dancing some slow dances together. We're still friends. My first kiss came with my next boyfriend about half a year later. Kyle and I was a couple for the rest of junior high and I had all my firsts with him. My first kiss, first bj, first hand-job and the first time I had sex."

"No way. I heard from Sara that you were a virgin till you were 22 or something."

"That's not what I said to Sara, and man is she in trouble now. I said I wasn't with a woman until I was 22. The first and only time actually. Man that was a total waste. We were both drunk, it was totally awkward and so not good at all. It only confirmed that I am one hundred percent gay, and not bi as my mother hoped."

"Man I can't believe this. You've had many boyfriends?"

"Nah, that's a little exaggerated. I don't like one-night-stands, except for that one woman, but I had just been cheated on by my boyfriend so I don't count that time. I'm more of a relationship-guy. With the exception of Adam and the woman, all my relationships have lasted longer that one year. Tom, my boyfriend in high school, and I were together for a little over two years. In college I got together with Sam and we stayed a couple until he cheated on me three years later. And then there's Jess. So that's a total score of five."

"I've only had two myself. One in college and one here in Vegas. Neither lasted very long."

"Why not?"

"Well, they got bored with me, and Chris, my boyfriend here in Vegas always complained about my work-hours."

"What do you mean, they got bored with you?"

"That's what they said. I guess I'm not a very interesting guy. I've never been into clubbing and stuff like that. I guess I'm more of a romantic, I like staying home and snuggling on the couch while watching a movie together. I like candle-light dinners and slow dancing in the privacy of my home. So I guess they found me too boring to bother spending time with."

"Well, their loss. You're not boring Nick. I mean we've had lots of great discussions and talks over the years we've known each other now. You're a great CSI; you're dedicated to your job and very compassionate about it. I guess you just need to calm down and relax when you come home."

"Yeah, I'm usually beat when I get home after a shift. What about you? What do you do after work?"

"Usually I'm beat myself. When I lived with Jess we used to do the things you said. We snuggled on the couch and just spent time together. We always ate breakfast together, when I came home and before he went to work. We did go clubbing occasionally, but not very often. The thing with Jess was that he wasn't out, so we kept two apartments. At least that made it easier when he broke up."

"Why did he break up with you?"

"He's from Minnesota and his parents are very Christian. They kept pestering him about finding a nice girl and getting married. He didn't have the heart to disappoint them so in the end he caved. He obviously found a girl, and broke up with me."

"Man, that's harsh. I'm sorry G."

"Yeah. I really thought he could be it you know? But I'll live. Writing those songs and performing them helped a lot."

"That's good to hear Greggo. The songs were really great by the way."

"Thanks. I'm glad you liked them."

Just as Nick opened his mouth to tell Greg that Jess had been at the concert, the food came. The conversation died down to talking about the meal, and they both tasted the others choice. Half way through his lasagne Nick tried again.

"Do you know that Jess was at the concert?"

Greg looked up from the glass he was drinking and nodded. "Yeah, Jacqui told me. But how do you know that?"

Nick took another sip of his wine. "I sat beside her when she pointed him out to Archie. He told me who it was."

"Yeah. Jess always used to come to all our concerts. I heard he wasn't too happy about the last song. Not that I care much."

"So if he came and wanted you back, what would you do?" Nick was very anxious about the tech's answer to this question.

Greg thought about it for a while and drank some more wine. When he put the glass back at the table he looked up and locked eyes with the Texan.

"I wouldn't take him back. He's hurt me too much for that. Not only with breaking up and leaving me, but before that too. Always having to be so damn secret and careful about everything. I did love him at one point, but that love is gone now. And I don't think it will ever come back."

Nick relaxed as he heard that, his shoulders visibly sank down. He didn't want to pressure the younger man into to something he wasn't ready for so he changed the subject. For the rest of the dinner and the dessert afterwards, they talked about everything from their childhood to their favourite color and animal. To Nick the date had been fantastic, and he couldn't be happier when they went to his truck and he drove Greg home.

When he stopped outside the apartment, the tech turned towards him. "I had a great time tonight. Thanks for taking me out." The Californian had a big smile on his face.

Nick grinned back at him. "I had a great time too. So… do you think we could do it again?"

Greg pondered this for a few seconds before he nodded. "I think I'd like that a lot. Let's see how things are at work and talk about it later, okay?"

The Texan's smile lit up the entire car by now. "Yeah, sounds great."

Greg leaned over and put a small kiss on Nick's cheek before he turned and got out of the car.

"Bye Nick, see you at work."

The Texan was still perplexed by the fact that Greg had kissed him, but managed to croak out a "Good bye" as he watched the younger man walk up to his door. His smile was so big now he was sure it could be seen from outer space. The smile was still there as he drove home, got ready for bed, even while he slept. Before sleep claimed him, four words escaped his mouth. "I love you Greg."

* * *

A/N: Hope you still like it! Will post the next part as soon as my beta is done reading it! So long for now, and take care of yourself in these busy times!


	3. Chapter 3

Well aint I fast? Nah, my beta sent it back to me tonight, and since I'll be busy all weekend I decided to just post it! It's the last chapter.

SPOILERS for Stalker in this part.

* * *

As the months went by, Nick and Greg spent a lot of time together. They went on a couple of more dates, but mostly they stayed at each others places, lounging on the couch, watching movies or playing games. They had kissed a few times, but they were still taking it slow.

Greg was in his lab, thinking about Nick and their relationship. He had done something really stupid that day and he was cursing himself for it. _'Damn, how did this happen? How could I be so stupid? We had a really good thing going here, and now Nick's pissed with me. Why did I have to do it?'_ He could still hear the Texan's voice in his head telling him to stop invading his privacy.

The DNA-tech knew that his feelings for the older man had changed, especially over the last couple of weeks. Now he couldn't wait to see Nick again, and he wanted to take things further. He wanted to do more than just snuggle on the couch and kiss him good bye. He knew in his heart that he was falling in love with the other man. And now; said man was angry with him. _'Damn this is really fucked up!'_

Hours later, Greg still hadn't seen Nick since their last encounter. He really wanted to apologise, but that was difficult when the CSI was in the field all the time. What's worse was the rumour that had started in the hall of the lab some thirty minutes earlier; that Nick had been thrown out of a window and that he was badly injured, maybe even dead. He had tried to call the Texan ten times since he first heard the rumour, but all the calls had gone straight to voice-mail. So now he was tired from working a long shift, sad because his (hopefully) boyfriend was mad at him, and dead scared that something bad had happened to him.

One hour later, Greg still hadn't heard anything from Nick or anybody else. Just as he picked up his phone to call the Texan again, Warrick and Sara came walking past his lab. Warrick was the only one of the CSI's who knew about their emerging relationship, and he excused himself to Sara as he saw the desperate look in the Californian's face. When he entered the lab, Greg pounced on him.

"What's happened? Is Nick okay? I heard he's hurt bad, that he's dead. Tell me he isn't dead, tell me, come on Warrick, TELL ME!!"

"Damn Greg, calm down. Nick's okay; he's not dead. He got thrown out of a first floor window. He's got a concussion, two broken ribs, a sprained wrist and five stitches to his head. He'll be fine. I just dropped him off at home. He just needs some rest, and someone to help him. Will you do it?"

Greg sat down on his chair, relief evident in his features. He nodded to Warrick and the other man left the lab. _'He's okay! He'll be fine. Oh man, he's alive!'_ Greg intended to drive straight to Nick's place when his shift was over, looking at his watch he could see that it was only one more hour left, then he could go there and see for himself that the Texan was indeed okay. It's not that he didn't trust Warrick, but he needed to see it with his own eyes.

Ten minutes later a big commotion in the hall made him look up, and he saw Grissom, Catherine, Warrick and Sara walk out of the A/V-lab towards the entrance. He walked up to Archie and suddenly got worried from the looks his fellow lab-tech gave him.

"What's wrong Arch? What's happened?"

Archie knew of course about Nick and Greg, as did all of the techs. Now he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to worry his friend even more, but he didn't have a choice. He knew that Greg could tell when he lied, so he had to tell the truth.

"We looked at the last tape. It looks like Crane is hiding in Nick's attic."

"WHAT? For how long?"

"I don't know Greg, I haven't watched them all. We just started at the beginning, and then we looked at the last one. And he was talking about Nick being his friend, and being willing to give his life for him, and all that crap. He had a copy of the crime stopper newsletter."

Greg sagged down the wall beside Archie. "So why did they all run out of here?"

Archie frowned and looked apologetically at his friend. "They think he might still be there. That he might do something against Nick."

The DNA-tech closed his eyes to avoid a blackout. He could feel his head spinning, and his stomach squirming. He knew there was no chance for him to do any more work now, not with Nick in mortal peril because of him and that stupid newsletter. He could feel tears sliding down his face, but did nothing to prevent them from falling.

The word went in the lab, and soon after Greg was surrounded by Hodges, Jacqui and Bobby. Archie had the police-scanner on and they were all listening intently to hear any news about Nick. When they finally heard that Nick was okay, Greg cried even worse, but these were happy tears. He smiled a huge grin to his best friends, who were all sighing in relief and hugging each other.

"Thanks for being here for me. I couldn't have done this without you."

"No problem Greg. That's what friends are for! Now go to the bathroom and brush yourself up a bit. I'm guessing Nick will be here any minute." Jacqui gave him one last hug, and Greg was on his way.

-----

Greg was standing in the hall outside the interrogation room, waiting for Nick to come out of the adjoined room. Inside he could see Nigel Crane, obviously muttering something to himself. The Californian couldn't make out the words, not that any of that mattered anyway. He tried not to think about the fact that that man had been hiding out in Nick's attic. _'How long has he been there? Has he seen us getting closer? Has he watched us snuggling on the couch?'_ Greg was so lost in thoughts that he jumped when the door opened, and Catherine came out, quickly followed by Grissom, Sara and Warrick. The tech tried to make himself invisible, he didn't want to be asked why he was there.

As Warrick closed the door behind himself, the two men's eyes locked. A silent conversation started and ended quickly. _"He needs you Greg." "I know, I'll take care of him." "Good. Now go inside and help him." "Thanks Warrick."_

Greg opened the door slowly and looked at Nick standing in front of the see-through mirror. In the other room Nigel Crane was escorted out by two police officers. The tech closed the door silently, careful not to startle the Texan.

"Nick?" Greg's voice was barely a whisper. He knew he was heard when the older man started to turn around. As more of his wounds were shown the tech drew in a huge breath. He could see the tough face on the CSI start to crumble as his eyes became misty and his lower lip started trembling. In two strides Greg had his arms around the other man, mindful of his injuries.

When Nick saw Greg standing there with so much care in his eyes, all the day's events came crashing down on him. He found it a little weird that he had no problems with breaking down in front of the man he loved, while he had toughened up when his friends had surrounded him. When he felt the tech's arms around him, his knees could no longer hold him up. Together they slid down to the floor, and Nick sobbed into the younger mans chest.

"I was so scared G. When he had that gun at me; I was sure I would die. And all I could think about was you. How much I love you, and that I wanted to see you again."

The Texan's voice disappeared as his crying got worse. Greg held him close, one hand caressing the strong back and the other stroking his hair.

"I was scared too. I heard you'd been thrown out of a window, and no one would tell me if you were alive or not. When Warrick said you were okay; I've never been so relieved before in my entire life. And then when Archie told me that Crane might be at your house; I broke down Nicky. I just sat there on the floor, crying my eyes out, thinking how you don't know. That I never told you. And it's all my fault, that stupid newsletter, I'm so sorry Nick, I never meant for this to happen, I was just so proud of you, and I wanted to show everyone how great my boyfriend is. And now you probably hate me, and I can't stand that…"

During Greg's rambling the Texan's sobbing had lessened, the voice of the tech had a soothing effect on him. As the Californian ran out of words, his tone got lower until it died completely. Nick was quiet now, and more relaxed than he had been for the last hours. He sat up a little and locked eyes with the younger man.

"What don't I know Greg? What haven't you told me?"

Tears were silently running down the tech's cheeks. His eyes softened as he looked into the other man's dark brown eyes.

"That I love you."

At once Nick's eyes too got misty, but a huge smile turned the tears into happy tears. Slowly the small distance between them was gone, as they met in a sweet kiss filled with love. The passion and desire had to wait, but they knew they had all the time in the world. As their breath began to go out, they broke apart, but still kept their foreheads together.

"I love you too G. I don't hate you, don't ever think that again. That's something that's impossible for me. And none of this is your fault babe. Crane's a crazy man, and this would have happened no matter what. That newsletter didn't have anything to do with it. Please believe me."

Greg could only nod; he didn't know what to say anymore. Instead he once again found Nick's lips, this kiss deeper than the first one. They didn't break it until the lack of oxygen almost made them black out, both panting and grinning madly at each other. At last Greg stood up, and then helped Nick get up. He gave the Texan a small kiss, before he started walking him out.

"Come cowboy. You're coming with me. Let's go home."

-----

Nick was confused. One month had gone since the incident as he had started calling it, avoiding the term 'attempted murder'. His injuries were more or less healed, and his relationship with Greg was better than ever. But still Nick was confused.

The Texan had decided to sell his house. He couldn't live there any more; there were too many bad memories there now. Sure a lot of good had happened there, but he just wasn't comfortable inside. He had only been there once in the past month to pick up some clothes. So he was still living with Greg.

One week ago Nick had started talking about finding a new place as soon as the house was sold. The market was good now, so the real estate woman he had talked to said he would get a pretty dime from the sell. And this was why he was confused. Every time he had talked about buying a new place, or go to see an apartment or a house; Greg would go quiet. The tech just stopped talking, and would nod and shrug his answers.

Just as he had done only fifteen minutes before. The couple had watched a movie snuggled together on the couch, looking forward to a rare night off together, when Nick had asked the lab-tech to come with him to a viewing the next day. Greg had immediately tensed, keeping his eyes locked on the tv without seeing anything. He had given the CSI a small shrug before jawing and stretching and declared that he was tired and going to bed.

So Nick was confused. How was it possible to go from such a great time to such an awkward time in just mere minutes? Seconds actually. The Texan turned the tv off and followed his boyfriend into the bedroom, intent on finding out what this was all about.

Greg was lying on his stomach obviously still awake. Nick walked over to him and crouched down on the floor, keeping their heads at eye-level. He extracted one hand and stroked a wayward hair out of his love's eyes. When those eyes opened the CSI could see that they were glassy.

"Hey baby. What's wrong?"

Greg quickly closed his eyes, muttering "Nothing" under his breath.

"Look at me G. I know something is wrong. You've been acting kinda strange lately. Not your normal self."

A quiet sob escaped the tech's lips and he buried his face further into the pillow. Now Nick started to get really worried. He shed his clothes, not bothering about where they landed and jumped into the bed, wrapping his arms around the lithe man, stroking his hair and back in a soothing way.

"Please baby. Talk to me. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on in that beautiful head of yours."

Greg took a deep breath, desperately trying to stop the tears from escaping his eyes. He gripped the Texan's shirt tight, scared to let go.

"I can't… I don't know what to say Nicky. I'm so lost right now. All I know is that every time you start talking about leaving I get really sad and I'm sure it's me you're leaving. And I don't want you to go. I don't want to live without you. This past month has been so great, I love that you're here. Knowing that I'll see you when I get home makes work a lot more bearable, makes me happy. I don't want to go back to the place I was before, living alone, eating alone, never knowing when I'd see you again."

As the words came tumbling out of Greg's mouth, Nick could feel his own eyes get teary. He knew the thoughts the tech had, because they were also on his mind.

"My God G. I didn't know you felt like that; like me. I just thought that you would get bored with me around all the time, and that it was too soon to start thinking about living together permanently. This month, despite the injuries and pain, has been the best month of my entire life. Being here with you, making meals together, watching tv together, and you holding me at night, it's heaven Greg. I love you so much, if you want me to stay, I'd be more than happy to do it."

Greg looked up at the Texan, the smile on his face lighting up the entire room. He put his arms around the older man's neck and drew himself up until their faces were mere inches apart. The kiss they shared, felt like the first kiss to both men. A kiss filled with happiness and love. As the minutes passed the kiss changed; it became more passionate and longing. Their hands started roaming over the others body, stroking and feeling, searching for the secret places only a lover would know of.

The need for oxygen drew them apart, but their hands kept on pacing, and their foreheads were still touching. Greg looked deep into the dark brown eyes in front of him. With a small kiss he lay down on the bed, pulling his soon-to-be lover on top of him.

"Make love to me Nicky."

Nick was thrilled by this declaration of trust and love. His eyes got teary again as the strongest emotion he'd ever felt streamed through his body. "I love you so much G. I never knew love until I met you. I'd love to make love to you."

Their lips met in a searing kiss again, and their bodies melted together as one.

-----

It had been six months since he was here last, but now Nick found himself seated at the exact same table at Retro as last time. Greg's band was having another concert and the club was packed with people. The feelings the Texan had this time were very different from last though. Now he actually knew what to expect, well sort of anyway, since Greg had said he had a surprise for the CSI. It was still ten minutes until the show began, and Nick took the time to think over what had happened in the half year that had gone by.

If he looked away from the whole Nigel Crane-thing, the last six months had been pure bliss. Living with Greg was everything he had ever wanted and hardly dared hoping for. Nick loved to come home to the lab-tech, especially after a hard case. When the Californian wrapped his strong arms around him, all worries and burdens just flew away. Going to sleep and waking up all interlaced with the younger man was the Texan's favorite time of the day. He just loved to watch the tech sleep, looking so peaceful and beautiful.

For the past weeks the couple had started talking about coming out to those few in the lab that didn't know about them. They had decided to start with telling their families that they were together. So two weeks ago, Greg's parents had visited them in Vegas. Nick had been very nervous, but his in-laws had been great. They were so accepting of him, had welcomed him to the family and immediately invited the pair to celebrate thanksgiving in San Francisco.

Then last weekend, when both Nick and Greg had two nights off in a row, they flew to Texas, where the whole Stokes-clan was waiting to meet the guy who had snatched their son/ little brother. Nick knew the younger man had dreaded the meeting, especially since there were so many siblings, brother-in-laws, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews to remember the names of. Greg had nothing to worry about though. With the patented Sanders-charm turned on he soon had the whole bunch under his spell. Nick had even heard his only single sister, Jess; complain about all good looking men being gay. The couple had left with a promise to try to return for Christmas.

So now, everybody knew about them, except for Sara, Catherine and Grissom. The threesome was sitting beside him at the table, looking forward to the concert, talking with Warrick and the lab-techs. When the speaker finally entered the stage, the crowd went silent.

"Helloooooo! I hope you're all doing fine tonight!" The crowd cheered loudly, whistling and clapping. "That's good! I know what you're all here for, so why don't we just get this show started?" The noise grew louder. "So clap your hands and give a big cheer foooor… THE RATS!!!!"

The crowd went wild as Greg, Hodges, Neal and Martin jumped out on the stage. The band waved to their fans and friends as they got their instruments ready. They started with some old songs before moving to the new ones. The minutes went by so fast; Nick couldn't believe it when Greg announced the last song.

"Now to the last song of the night." The aaaww from the crowd made his smile even wider. "I know and I'm really sorry! But we all got other places to be and things to do. So, this one will probably surprise you a bit, since it's not our usual style. We're covering a song, something we've never done before. But this is one of my boyfriend's favorite songs, so Nicky, this is for you. Since none of us play the piano, we had to ask a friend. Warrick; come on up!"

Nick couldn't believe what had just happened. He couldn't stop the grin on his face, which only grew larger by the shocked looks on Sara, Grissom and Catherine's faces. His smile turned into amazement when he heard the last statement from his boyfriend. Warrick gave his friend a smirk before moving to the stage and placed himself behind a piano Nick hadn't noticed until now. His mind was close to overload and he had to pull himself back together as Martin started playing, quickly followed by Warrick. The Texan immediately recognized the song, his eyes widening in surprise. He had no chance, nor did he wish to close his eyes when Greg looked at him.

**Every time our eyes m****eet  
****This**** feeling inside me  
****I****s almost more than I can take  
****Baby when you touch me  
****I can feel how much you love me  
****And it just blows me a****way  
****I've never been this close to anyone or anything  
****I can hear your thoughts; I can see your d****reams**

**I don't know**** how you do what you do  
****I'm so in love with you  
****It just keeps getting b****etter  
****I wanna s****pend the rest of my life  
****With y****ou by my side  
****Forever and e****ver  
****Every little thing that you d****o  
****Baby I'm amazed by you**

**The smell of your skin  
****The t****aste of your kiss  
****The way you whisper in the d****ark  
****Your hair all around m****e  
****Baby you surround m****e  
****You touch every p****lace in my heart  
****Oh, it feels like the first time, every time  
****I wanna s****pend the whole night in your hands**

**I don't know how you do what you do  
****I'm so in love with you  
****It just keeps getting b****etter  
****I wanna s****pend the rest of my life  
****With y****ou by my side  
****Forever and e****ver  
****Every little thing that you d****o  
****Baby I'm amazed by you**

**Every little thing that you do  
****I'm so in love with you  
****It just keeps getting b****etter  
****I wanna s****pend the rest of my life  
****With y****ou by my side  
****Forever and e****ver  
****Every little thing that you d****o, oh  
****Every little thing that you do**

**Baby I'm a****mazed by you**

As the song ended Nick could feel tears in his eyes. He never thought his feelings for Greg could get any stronger, but every day the tech did something to prove him wrong. The club was dead silent for three seconds before the crowd started cheering. Nick smiled and joined the others clapping and whistling for the band. Before their eyes parted, the Texan mouthed "I love you" to his lover and got a huge grin back. He was so proud of his wonderful boyfriend, and looked forward to getting him home, so he could reward him for the best surprise he'd ever gotten in his life.

The End

* * *

A/N: Well there you have it! I hope you liked it! The song is I'm Amazed By You by Tim McGraw. Please review, I love hearing what you think!

And Merry Christmas everybody (just in case I don't get to tell you later!)


End file.
